Database analysis of injury patterns in an institution for developmental disabilities

This paper reports the results of a statistical analysis of injuries to the clients and the employees of a state facility for people with developmental disabilities, as recorded in the respective databases of the institution. The goal of the analysis was to identify the characteristics and patterns of injuries in order to identify priorities for technological intervention. Databases for 2000 client injuries and for 900 direct care staff injuries between 1988 and 1991 were analyzed retrospectively. Most of the injuries were sustained by the direct care staff and involved their backs. The injuries occurred in the institution's bedrooms (approximately 25%) and bathrooms (approximately 15%) and took place mainly during the early morning (approximately 30%) and evening rush (20%). The time of day and location of the injuries of clients coincided with those of the injuries of employees. These findings direct the focus of technological based interventions.